PIZZA X
PIZZA X
You know, before college I vowed to avoid the “pizza eating” stereotype… didn’t last long.
I joined One World Enterprises early-on, working primarily on the Pizza X brand. From meeting pizza obsessed “furries” to getting the van stuck in the mud… in a forest — I’ve done it all. Here are my top 4 campaigns.
“Pizza X Marks The Spot”
Truth: As covid money dries up & IU expands to buffet-style dining halls, consumers are seeking less off-campus food options. Most freshmen have not tried Pizza X nor formed a relationship with the brand.
Strategy: Create “4-year customers” by meeting students where they are. Breakdown the cost-entry barrier by giving away free product + merchandise. Create game-like scavenger hunt on socials.
Associate Pizza X with fun by:
showing up at bars when after last call
attending sports tailgates
blasting popular music when driving through campus
attending IU events
doing sporadic pop-ups on warm days
put logo on condoms accessible only by use of the code name “sprinkles”
“Pizza X + Little 500”
Truth: After successfully establishing Pizza X to be a fun, iconic, innovative brand, customers expect us to meet them where the fun is — problem is, we’re not sure if they love us for more than our dough (pun intended.)
Strategy: Test our brand’s ability to attract a crowd when there’s nothing to offer other than a good time. Attend “the world’s greatest college weekend” with zero pizza & a ton of energy. Create interactive games & prizes. Send our best interns to interact with the crowd. Further nurture our relationship with consumers.
“Pizza X Moments”
Truth: With countless off-campus food options and unlimited meal-points to blow, many students couldn’t name a good reason to order Pizza X.
Having seen the truckloads of tomatoes arrive at the production facility, I knew the brand could make many claims others couldn’t — locally sourced, prepared daily, fresh ingredients, etc. However, as a college student myself — I also knew nobody would care.
So I looked at my own habits.
Why did I order Pizza X? (Aside from my corporate discount.)
Anytime I was up late studying with friends, there was Pizza X. Movie night? Pizza X. New found love coming back to my shoe-box dorm? I’m a gentleman — Pizza X!
You get the idea. It's not about the pizza, it’s the moments shared around that cardboard box.
Strategy: Remind our customers that we’re more than pizza — we’re a part of the occasion. Ready at any moment, for the moment. Tap into the nostalgia customers have already formed with the brand. Encourage them to share their own moments using #PizzaXMoments on social. Team up with Ad Club IU to be the actors — paid in pizza.
“Call your X.”
Truth: There’s 3 things on every drunk college student’s mind. Food, their ex, and well… one other thing. (see: sprinkles) Many students don’t know that Pizza X has a new downtown location targeting the bar crowd. In fact, they’re turning to late-night competitors like Taco Bell.
Strategy: Reclaim Pizza X as thee king of late-night hunger by deploying a sly campaign, one that speaks directly to the audience. Team up with downtown bars, hang posters in their restrooms, utilizing witty copy & vague details to pique consumer’s interest and get them to call their X.
I did pitch this to my team — waiting on the green light or my termination email.